Walking, wheeling and cycling take up to 510,000 cars off Dublin roads every day, according to latest Walking and Cycling Index

NTA survey shows increase in number of residents cycling at least five days a week – now 12%

3 March 2026

Walking, wheeling and cycling take up to 510,000 cars off Dublin roads every day, according to latest Walking and Cycling Index.

NTA survey shows increase in number of residents cycling at least five days a week – now 12%.

Almost a half of residents in Dublin want to walk or wheel more and a third want to cycle more.

The National Transport Authority has today published the findings of its latest survey of walking, wheeling and cycling in the Dublin Metropolitan Area, which reveals that those who walk, wheel or cycle for non-leisure trips when they could have used a car take up to 510,000 cars off Dublin’s roads every day. The survey also reveals that 12% of residents are cycling at least five times a week, up from 8% in 2023. 70% of residents walk or wheel (meaning the use of a wheelchair or mobility scooter) at least five times a week.

The largest assessment of walking, wheeling, and cycling

The Walking and Cycling Index provides the largest assessment of walking, wheeling, and cycling in Ireland and the UK. It is delivered in collaboration with local authorities in the Dublin Metropolitan Area, the National Transport Authority and the sustainable transport charity, Walk Wheel Cycle Trust. Alongside the Dublin Metropolitan Area Walking and Cycling Index, the Cork, Limerick, Shannon, Galway, and Waterford Metropolitan Areas are also publishing Index reports today.

electric wheelchair user on footpath

The Dublin Metropolitan Area Walking and Cycling Index

The Dublin Metropolitan Area Walking and Cycling Index is based on an independent demographically representative survey of more than 1,100 residents from across Dublin Metropolitan Area, aged 16 and above, not just those who walk, wheel or cycle. The Dublin Metropolitan Area covers an area from Donabate in Fingal to Greystones in County Wicklow in the south, and as far west as Kilcock in County Kildare.

66% of residents are in favour of additional investment in walking and wheeling

It reveals that 66% of residents are in favour of additional investment in walking and wheeling and 55% of residents are in favour of additional investment in cycling, this contrasts with 36% who would like to see additional investment for driving. The survey points to a continuing demand for active travel with 45% expressing their desire to walk or wheel more in the future, and 34% expressing a desire to cycle more.

Key findings from the 2025 Dublin Metropolitan Area Walking and Cycling Index:

  • 12% of adult residents cycle at least 5 or more days a week, up from 8% in 2023.
  • 70% of adult residents walk 5 or more days a week, while 46% use a car 5 or more days a week.
  • 25% of adult residents cycle at least once a week.
  • 45% want to walk more, and 34% want to cycle more in the future.
  • Every day those who walk, wheel and cycle for non-leisure trips when they could have used a car take up to 510,000 cars off roads in the Dublin Metropolitan Area. If these cars were all in a traffic jam it would tail back 2,452 kilometres.
  • Residents walking, wheeling and cycling create an annual economic benefit for individuals and the Dublin Metropolitan Area of €2.19bn comprising €1.8bn annual economic benefit from walking/wheeling and €393.8m annual economic benefit from cycling.
  • Cycling trips to work increased from 23.2 million trips in 2023 to 30 million in 2025 (up from 27% to 33% of all cycling trips)
  • Walking and cycling in the Dublin Metropolitan Area saves the HSE €55.7 million annually, equivalent to the cost of over 920,000 GP appointments.
  • Those walking and cycling instead of driving, save greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 1.21 million flights from Dublin Airport to London Heathrow Airport.
  • There is a €1.71 net economic benefit for each km cycled instead of driven and €1.23 net economic benefit for each km walked instead of driven.
  • Older residents remain engaged in active travel – 62% of residents aged 66 and over walk or wheel at least 5 days a week, and 12% of residents aged 66 or over cycle at least once a week.
  • 71% of residents in the Dublin Metropolitan Area support building cycle tracks physically separated from traffic and pedestrians even when that means less room for other traffic.

two men walking near cycle lane in Dublin street

Economic Benefits of Active Travel 

The report found that walking, wheeling and cycling create an annual economic benefit for residents and the wider Dublin Metropolitan Area of €2.19billion. This includes €1.71 of a net economic benefit for each km cycled instead of driven and €1.23 benefit of each km walked instead of driven. These costs were determined through an analysis of travel time, vehicle operating costs, health benefits, air quality and taxation.

parent with two children on scooter and bike Dublin

Environmental Benefits 

Every day, up to 510,000 non-leisure return walking, wheeling and cycling trips are made daily in the Dublin Metropolitan Area by residents who could have used a car. If these cars were all in a traffic jam it would tail back 2,452 kilometres.

The report also found that walking, wheeling and cycling save 97,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in Dublin each year, which is equivalent to about 1,210,000 residents taking flights from Dublin to London Heathrow.

Health Benefits and Inclusivity  

The benefits of walking and cycling to the Dublin Metropolitan Area are outlined in the report, with the physical activity benefits of walking and cycling preventing 4,346 serious long-term health conditions annually, valued at approx. €55.7 million – equivalent to the cost of over 920,000 GP appointments.

The Index showed that residents’ travel choices and their perceptions of walking, wheeling, and cycling vary between different groups. It found that 49% of residents with a disability walk or wheel at least five days a week in Dublin, while 71% of residents without a disability walk or wheel. While 71% of women and 68% of men walk or wheel at least five days a week, there is a larger gender gap when it comes to cycling, with 35% of men cycling at least once a week, compared with 17% of women.  However, the number of women who do not cycle but say they would like to has increased to 27%, growing from 22% in 2023. Older residents continue to engage in active travel with 62% of residents aged 66+ walking or wheeling at least 5 days a week, and 12% of residents aged 66+ cycling at least once a week.

men walking with a dog in Dublin 1600x650

What Residents Say Will Help Them Walk or Cycle More

The report shows notable increases in residents feeling safe walking/wheeling and cycling versus 2023. 87% think it’s safe to walk/wheel in their local area (up from 82% in 2023), and 90% think their area is a good place to walk/wheel (up from 87%).

When asked what would help them walk or wheel more, the majority of Dublin Metropolitan Area residents point to better footpath accessibility including dropped kerbs at crossing points, nicer places along streets to stop and rest, fewer cars parked on footpaths, and more frequent crossing points with reduced wait times. The report highlights that 72% of roads in the Dublin Metropolitan Area meeting at traffic‑light junctions now have a dedicated pedestrian crossing, which is a small improvement on 2023.

59% of residents think it’s safe to cycle in their local area but there are measures which would help them cycle more.  Residents want infrastructural improvements such as cycle tracks away from roads, or along roads physically separated from traffic and pedestrians. 71% of residents in the Dublin Metropolitan Area support building cycle tracks physically separated from traffic and pedestrians even when that means less room for other traffic.  The Dublin Metropolitan Area now has 129 km of traffic‑free paths away from roads and 201 km of cycle paths along roads physically separated from pedestrians and traffic, plus 211 km of cycle track beside the footpath but marked out by a different surface.

Creating a Better Place to Live 

Dublin residents also recognise the importance of liveable neighbourhoods. 79% of residents support creating ‘low traffic’ neighbourhoods – where groups of streets, bordered by main roads, have ‘through’ motor vehicle traffic greatly reduced. 85% support reducing speed limits, improving crossing points and introducing protected cycle paths in school neighbourhoods. 58% support closing residential streets outside schools to cars during drop-off and pick-up times. The report shows Dublin residents support walking/wheeling infrastructure to encourage them to use the bus more, 80% want improve crossing facilities near bus stops, and 77% want improved walking and wheeling routes to and from bus stops.

cyclist on a 2-way cycle lane - with passing car traffic - Walking and Cycling Index

Dublin Metropolitan Area Walking and Cycling Index provides valuable insights into how people travel

Anne Shaw, CEO of the National Transport Authority said:

“This latest edition of the Dublin Metropolitan Area Walking and Cycling Index provides valuable insights into how people travel and what is needed to make walking, wheeling and cycling safer, easier and more attractive. Since the last Index in 2023, we have worked with local authorities to deliver record investment in active travel infrastructure. Projects such as the Clontarf to City Centre Bus Priority and Active Travel Scheme, the Dodder Urban Greenway, and the expansion of neighbourhood networks and Safe Routes to School initiatives reflect our shared commitment to creating safe, connected streets.

The feedback in the report is clear: people want to walk, wheel and cycle more. We are responding with infrastructure that supports this ambition and helps create a healthier, safer and more liveable Dublin Metropolitan Area.”

The Dublin Metropolitan Area Walking and Cycling Index can be accessed at : Dublin Metropolitan Region | Walking and Cycling Index 2025 – National Transport

Notes on Methodology 

  • The Walking and Cycling Index is the biggest assessment of walking, wheeling and cycling in urban areas in Ireland and the UK.
  • In the Republic of Ireland, it is delivered in collaboration with the NTA and the local authorities for the 5 Metropolitan Areas of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick/Shannon and Waterford. 17 UK cities and urban areas are also involved, including Liverpool City Region, Greater Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
  • The Dublin Metropolitan Area covers an area from Donabate in Fingal to Greystones in County Wicklow in the south, and as far west as Kilcock in County Kildare.
  • The information in the reports comes from local data, modelling and an independent demographically representative survey of at least 1,100 residents aged 16+ in each Metropolitan Area.
  • The survey was conducted face-to-face by the independent market research company Ipsos B&A from April to July 2025.
  • The survey is representative of all Dublin Metropolitan Area residents, not just those who walk, wheel or cycle.
  • The Walking and Cycling Index uses a model to analyse the costs and benefits of driving, walking and cycling. Inputs include travel time, vehicle operating costs, health benefits, air quality and taxation.
  • All other data is sourced from city partners, national data sets or modelled and calculated by Walk Wheel Cycle Trust.
  • Margin of error +/-3%.
  • A more in-depth methodology is available at walkwheelcycletrust.org.uk/walking-cycling-index  and Dublin Metropolitan Region | Walking and Cycling Index 2025 – National Transport
  • Use of the term ‘wheeling’ – Walk Wheel Cycle Trust provide this definition for the term ‘wheeling’ in the body of each Report. “We recognise that some people who use wheeled mobility aids, for example a wheelchair or a mobility scooter, may not identify with the term walking and may prefer to use the term wheeling. We use the terms walking and wheeling together to ensure we are as inclusive as possible.”